EdgeRank. It’s a mythical beast in many ways, not because it isn’t real but because it is very misunderstood by many. It’s one of those things that makes total sense once you get it but that can be very misleading before the light bulb ignites.

The basic way to understand it in one sentence is this – when your content gets positive engagement, it can be seen by more people, but when it gets negative sentiment, it gets hidden. There is a science behind it but that’s not really necessary for success. When you post good content and the people that do get to see it interact in a positive manner, the chance that others will see it too goes up. The opposite is true as well.

This is where posting the right content and “earning” the right for your business to market on Facebook comes into play. Some will say that Facebook can only be used as a branding tool, that if you focus on putting out high-quality content and never actually talk about the business, that you’ll get the maximum benefit. It’s a fair strategy, a safe on, but not necessarily the best, particularly for local businesses. A good mix of engaging content with marketing material mixed in is the best strategy, but that takes more than a blog post or an infographic to explain fully.

In the meantime, here’s an interesting infographic by PostRocket to get you started.

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“Hidden Under Hat” image courtesy of Shutterstock.